“Koi Pond” turned out to be another awkward episode ofThe Office, with the dramabetween Pam and Michael being put on hold as the office obsessed over Michael’s most recent, ridiculous blunder. Was the episode as silly as “Mafia”? No. This one had some good moments but still, I hate to say it but I think this ep might be nearly as forgettable.

“I am going to scare these kids so bad.”The episode opened with the Dunder Mifflin staff awaiting the arrival of some little kids who were visiting to see the haunted house that was set up in the warehouse. While Kelly sported a Fifth Element costume and Meredith dressed as a hobo that Darryl mistook to be the old crone from Drag Me to Hell, Michael topped them all, rocking a “Dick in a Box” costume. I’m not sure which aspect of this look was worse; the fact that he wore a costume like that for an event that involved kids or the ridiculously dated-ness of the ensemble. I think most of us would agree that if he wanted to be slightly more topical, and more fitting to his recent behavior, dressing as Justin or Andy from the SNL Mother Lover short would’ve been truly hysterical. But “genuinely funny” has never been Michael’s forte, has it? Instead, he opted for creepy, choosing to scare the kids not only with his costume but also by hanging himself from a harness with a noose around his neck. Too far, Michael. And that box is just… gross. Points to Jim for his “Book Face” costume. The facebook gag was as dryly amusing as his three-hole-punch costume from a few years back. And points to Creed for getting some use out of the stuff he stole from the blood-truck.